Vacuum system
With IoT, a vacuum furnace or other vacuum system provides temperature, pressure, gas and energy consumption in a standardised form and continuously compares the process with setpoints. Operators safeguard quality and traceability, while manufacturers build digital services on top.
Vacuum system at a glance
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Verified projects featuring Vacuum system
From machine to customer portal – clear data interfaces for service and customer integration
Process monitoring with on-premises IoT improves safety and quality
Connected vacuum furnace: check the process, share data securely
PVA Industrial Vacuum Systems, a subsidiary of PVA TePla, builds high-vacuum and heat treatment systems for joining, brazing and sintering at up to 2,000 degrees Celsius and 200 bar. There, the Kontron KBox A-151-EKL edge device reads the machine parameters and transfers them into the OPC UA for Machinery model, implemented with FabEagle Connect. The software runs in Docker containers. At ALD Vacuum Technologies, the Process Monitoring module of the ALD EXPERT GRID platform accesses the controller directly. Customers define tolerances as upper and lower limits or as the reference curve of a particularly successful batch, the golden batch. The solution runs exclusively on premises.
The examples come from mechanical engineering and from metal and electronics, for digital production records, traceability and knowledge retention. Together with Kontron AIS, PVA has created a uniform data interface for its subsidiaries. Customers integrate machine data into their own IT and MES systems without additional interfaces, while documentation, maintenance plans and service communication run via EquipmentCloud. At ALD, all process data is stored by batch and recipe, and deviations, for example in melting rates or pressures, trigger alarms. Episode #194 covers the PVA project, episode #133 the ALD EXPERT solutions.
Podcast episodes featuring Vacuum system
Vacuum furnaces: frequently asked questions
What data does a vacuum brazing furnace provide?
A connected vacuum brazing furnace provides temperature, pressure, and gas and energy consumption. At PVA, these parameters are read locally, transferred via the edge device into a standardised OPC UA model and provided through the customer's IT infrastructure. The data deliberately stays with the customer. To build trust, customers first receive documentation, maintenance plans and operating manuals, and live data follows in the next step.
How can a manufacturer digitalise service for vacuum heat treatment systems?
A manufacturer digitalises service by bringing machine data, documentation and service processes together on one platform. At PVA, many service units used to rely on their own tools and Excel structures. Today, an internal ticket system ensures traceable processes, and Kontron AIS EquipmentCloud serves customers as a portal for documentation, maintenance plans and communication. The concept was first piloted in individual units and has since been rolled out step by step across the group.
How can heat treatment furnace processes be checked against a golden batch?
In a heat treatment furnace, a golden batch serves as a reference curve against which every new batch is measured. In the ALD EXPERT Process Monitoring module, built for metallurgy and heat treatment, the customer selects a particularly successful batch and the current curve is compared with it. This allows standard deviations and process changes to be captured precisely. Operators receive alarms as soon as tolerance limits are breached. This reduces reliance on the experience of individual employees.
How can vacuum furnace manufacturers provide machine data in line with EU rules?
Vacuum furnace manufacturers provide machine data in a compliant way by planning in security, data sovereignty and a standardised interface from the start. PVA had to meet the requirements of the Data Act as well as the new EU Machinery Regulation. Kontron AIS assessed the regulatory requirements and supported their implementation. The edge device connects OT and IT securely, and the data is provided at the customer's site without leaving its infrastructure.
More assets in “Machinery and Equipment”
Pump
Pump monitoring with IoT records vibration, temperature, pressure and energy consumption of running pumps. Operators detect damage and faults before a pump fails and plan maintenance by condition rather than at fixed intervals.
Compressor
With IoT, compressor maintenance follows actual condition: sensors record current consumption, pressure, temperature and running times. Operators detect creeping damage and unused running time early and cut energy and service costs.
Electric motor
Motor condition monitoring with IoT continuously measures the vibration, temperature and current draw of electric motors. Operators detect imbalance, bearing damage or winding faults early and replace motors based on condition rather than after a failure.
Packaging machine
OEE software automatically records run times, downtime, speed and rejects on packaging machines from the machine signals. Operators see where their lines lose performance, and machine builders use the same data for remote access and digital services.
Refrigeration system
A refrigeration monitoring system makes service plannable: temperatures, refrigerant circuit pressures, compressor status and energy consumption flow into a platform in real time. Operators and service partners detect faults early, avoid unnecessary site visits and reduce excess consumption.
Air conditioning system
Commercial air conditioning systems in offices, retail branches and data centres can be monitored remotely with IoT. Operators see energy consumption, temperatures and faults in one place, detect failing compressors or refrigerant shortages early and plan service visits precisely.
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